Ultimately, the goal of CNA training at Lynden Healthcare Education is to prepare students to work in the health care industry as certified nursing assistants. That means teaching basic medical skills, providing hands-on experience caring for people and preparing students for the required Washington state nursing assistant competency exam.
What does a CNA do?
A nursing assistant’s primary goal is to ensure that people of all ages are given the expert care they need. This may mean helping them move around, eat, use the bathroom, bathe, dress and groom, among other things. Nursing assistants also help measure and record blood pressure, weight, fluid intake and output, breathing and pulse.
Nursing assistants must be attentive to the needs of the people they care for. Some days, that means encouraging them to be more independent, while other days, it means encouraging them to accept help. While most people have the same basic needs, the process of meeting those needs differs from person to person, so being attentive to individual health care needs is critical.
Dig deeper: more information about the role of a nursing assistant in long-term care.
What happens during the CNA training classes?
The state of Washington regulations for CNA training require a minimum of 85 hours of training through state-approved education, such as the nursing assistant classes provided here at Lynden Healthcare Education.
In attending the 20 required classroom sessions, students study a number of topics critical to the role of nursing assistant. For example:
- patient care techniques
- the use of modern technology for medical records
- infection control
- resident rights
- observation and reporting skills
- addressing mental health challenges
How is the course structured?
From beginning to end, the CNA training classes at Lynden Healthcare Education take five weeks. Classes are held from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The first three weeks of training consist of introduction, orientation and training. In the fourth week, students will participate in clinicals, where they will practice caring for the elderly at Christian Health Care Center, under close supervision. The fifth and final week includes two additional days of clinicals and one day each of skills practice and testing.
Who is the teacher?
Dianne Anderson has been a clinical instructor of nursing at Whatcom Community College since 2009. She taught CNA classes at Christian Health Care Center from 2016 to 2022, prior to the program’s expansion and transition to operating under the direction of LHE.
She is certified by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and works as an infection preventionist. She also coordinates medication audits for nursing staff and serves as a staff development coordinator in the long-term care industry.
Interested in this becoming a certified nursing assistant in Whatcom County? Review our upcoming sessions and enroll today.
